Like a lot of popular gambling games, Blackjack actually has its origins in France. It was not always known as Blackjack either. The game was originally called Vingt-eh-un, which means 21. There were variations of this game even back in the 1700s and in Spain the target number to be aimed for was actually 31 instead of 21 and this had to be achieved in three cards – discover more.
The French version of Blackjack actually proved the most popular and this dominated and travelled the globe successfully. 21 eventually reached America and it was here that it was renamed as Blackjack.
Modern Day Gambling
You can still play Blackjack in casinos but a growing number of people are playing the game at online casino in either a computer simulated format, or at live casino sections of virtual online Casinos. There is Premium Blackjack, Perfect Blackjack, Elite Blackjack and other variants of this famous table game. However, the object of all forms of Blackjack remains the same and that is to reach 21 in two cards, failing that, getting a score nearest to 21, when compared to the opponent, is also considered a victory.
Most Popular Versions of Blackjack
American Blackjack is sometimes known as classic Blackjack and it is one of the most common forms of the game. The major difference with American Blackjack is that the dealer gets their face-down card before the player considers their manoeuvre. With European Blackjack, the player is allowed to decide their next move and then the dealer receives their card.
Vegas Strip Blackjack has its origins in the famous Las Vegas Strip that is one of the major attractions of Las Vegas itself. Here four decks of cards are used and you can double down on any first dealt hand. You can also double down after splitting and a maximum of four hands can be split per session. However, Aces can only be split the once.
There is also Blackjack Switch where you get two hands to play separately but you can switch the second cards between the two hands.
Using Strategies
Some people are just naturally so good at Blackjack that they are falsely accused of cheating or counting cards. However, the casino needs to provide evidence that a device has been used. The individual is part of a card counting gang, otherwise casinos cannot accuse people of cheating. Strategies work best when you play against a live dealer rather than a virtual version of the game. Here you are taking on a person and not a platform that generates virtual results. However, in both cases you have to make quick decisions to either stand, hit, double, split or surrender.
Some general strategies include always splitting a pair of 8s and Aces and doubling down on a hard 11. Finally, another worthwhile strategy is to double down on 10s if you see that the dealer up card is less than the value of 9 on games like osrs grotesque guardians strategy. It is all about judging the values of your cards against the dealers and a surprising amount of strategic thinking is needed.
